Among the true Keiji Haino devotees, Nijiumu's Era of Sad Wings (released on P.S.F. in 1993) has always held a special place in the pantheon. Operating for only a few years in the early '90s and apparently only performing a handful of shows, Nijiumu operated at the opposite end of the dynamic spectrum to Haino's famed power trio Fushitsusha, dwelling in a hushed, meditative realm of mysterious droning sonorities and free-floating melodies that occasionally erupts into violence. Black Truffle now presents a new double-LP edition of a lesser-known 1994 Nijiumu recording, When I sing, I slip into the microphone. Into that void, I bring comrade "prayers", then, turning to face the outside, together we explode. Here, Nijiumu is the trio of Haino, Tetuzi Akiyama, and the obscure Takashi Matsuoka, the three performing on a wide variety of string, wind and percussion instruments, as well as electric guitar and bass, and Haino's unmistakable voice. Like on the early solo Haino album that shares the group's name, the instrumentation swims in reverb, often obscuring the instrumental sources. On the short opening piece, a distant reed instrument arcs long buzzing melodies over a bed of cymbals and gongs, like a psychedelic take on Tibetan music. The epic second part, occupying almost 50 minutes, begins as a splayed, near-formless cloud of electric guitar and bass, shadowed by bowed and plucked strings, the three elements working through twisting atonal shapes. At various points in the recording, we hear what seems to be the sounds of musicians moving between instruments, their shuffling and bumps fitting seamlessly into this radically open music. Eventually, what sounds like electric guitar moves closer to the foreground, fixing on a repeated melodic cell around which hover mysterious clouds of long tones and a sporadic shaker. In this new edition, the Nijiumu trio recording is supplemented by a piece recorded solo by Haino in 1973, a bracing electronic blowout stretching almost half an hour. Using a homemade electronics setup to unleash a barrage of crunching distortion and shuddering harmonic fuzz, it takes its place in the canon of extreme live electronics next to Robert Ashley's Wolfman and Walter Marchetti's Osmanthus fragrans, looking forward to extreme noise years before Merzbow. Taken as a whole, these four sides of music are a stunning document of some of the lesser-known waystations of Haino's singular creative path.

Black Truffle presents Melopea, two new pieces highlighting the incredible voice of Amelia Cuni (1958-2024), the great Italian singer, based in Berlin in later life, whose mastery of the classical Indian dhrupad developed in parallel with a commitment to contemporary experimental approaches. After two stunning archival releases documenting traditional dhrupad performances in India in the 1990s, the two side-long pieces here embody the freedom with which Cuni explored new contexts and settings for her singing. Both make use of a long recording of Cuni singing the pentatonic Raag Bhoop (or Bhopali) made in 2012 by her partner Werner Durand in Berlin. Melopea began from Cuni and Durand's superimposition of this recording with violinist Silvia Tarozzi and cellist Deborah Walker's performance of Éliane Radigue's Occam River II. Inspired by the beauty of this chance encounter (and other experiments with non-synchronous collaboration during the pandemic years), Tarozzi and Walker recorded independently, without hearing Cuni's voice but "having her present in memory." Tarozzi and Walker's bowed strings places Cuni's magisterial performance in a new context, emphasizing, as Radigue commented upon hearing the initial layering of her piece with Cuni's voice, a shared "searching toward the partials, overtones, these natural constituents of acoustical sounds in their richness." Primarily focusing on her lower register, Cuni's performance demonstrates her mastery of microtonal pitch subtleties, elegant sweeping glissandi and meditatively unhurried pacing. The continuation of the same recording by Cuni forms the foundation of "Bhoop-Murchana," with Anthea Caddy on cello and Werner Durand on soprano saxophone. In contrast to the randomized layering of the first piece, here Durand and Caddy have carefully selected pitches based on the raag Cuni sings, using the "Murchana" form, which uses the constituent notes of the raag as tonics of new raags, retaining the same interval structure. Both players who have developed tones of striking depth and harmonic purity on their instruments, Caddy and Durand's patient long tones are simultaneously rigorously grounded in the physical properties of sound and possessed of an immaterial, floating quality. Combined with Cuni's voice and, near the piece's end, her contributions on hammered and plucked tanpura, the effect borders on miraculous. Accompanied by liner notes from Durand, Tarozzi and Walker, Melopea is both a moving tribute to the profound art of Amelia Cuni and, for the uninitiated, a perfect introduction to it.

"Experience the profound legacy of The Last Poets with their new release, Africanism. Abiodun Oyewole and Umar Bin Hassan revisit and re-energize some of their seminal works such as 'When The Revolution Comes,' 'Gash Man' and 'Niggers Are Scared of Revolution,' infusing them with fresh and potent new soundscapes. Joining the Poets are the late, great Tony Allen (Fela Kuti) -- laying the album's foundations with legendary Afrobeat rhythms -- Egypt 80 guitarist and bassist Akinola Adio Oyebola and Kunle Justice, jazz keyboardist Kaidi Tatham (dubbed as 'The UK's Herbie Hancock') and saxophonist Courtney Pine. Africanism is the result of vibrant live sessions in Brooklyn and London, recorded and mixed by producer Prince Fatty. The album bridges spoken-word poetry with a bold fusion of Afrobeat and contemporary jazz, where live instruments amplify the Poets' raw and unflinching verses."

Announcing Perseverance Flow, the latest album from acclaimed Chicago-based ensemble Natural Information Society (NIS). After a trilogy of double LPs by expanded manifestations of the band that began in 2018 with Mandatory Reality & continued through Since Time Is Gravity (a Pitchfork Best Jazz & Experimental Album of the Year selection & Mojo's #1 Underground Album of 2023), NIS returns to its core formation of Lisa Alvarado on harmonium, Mikel Patrick Avery on drums, Jason Stein on bass clarinet, & composer/multi-instrumentalist Joshua Abrams on guimbri for one continuous 37 minute composition across a single LP. As the rocket boosters on spaceship earth sputter closer to burnout, lower your stylus into a soundfield that grows stronger the deeper you travel into it; a dose of the medicine many of us look to music to deliver awaits you inside. One of the deep contemplations of this natural information (thanks Bill Callahan) is the wide range of source materials Abrams draws from over the band's more than 15 year history: Ideas from minimalism, modal jazz & traditional musics are regularly reimagined in these compositions. The 2021 double LP descension (Out of Our Constrictions), with guest soloist Evan Parker, reflected aspects of Abrams' love of party music, Chicago house, & John Coltrane. *But even veteran travelers with the NIS best brace themselves for the Perseverance Flow. Speaking to the history & the inspirations behind the album, Abrams offers: "We played the piece for a year in concert before the recording. At Electrical (Audio Studios, Chicago) we went in at 11 & were done in time to pick our kids up from school." Abrams continues: "In a reference world, I imagine Perseverance Flow like a live extended realization of a Jaylib lost instrumental as remixed by Kevin Shields. Or vice versa. I also think it has sympathies to some of the more rhythmically intricate dance musics out of Chicago & Lisbon." The core NIS ensemble heard on Perseverance Flow always address Abrams' writing with the discipline of orchestra musicians & the creativity of improvisers. But this time around, instead of inviting living legend status musicians Evan or William Parker or Ari Brown as honored guests to solo freely over the composed materials, Abrams' invited guest collaborator was the medium of the recording studio itself. Situated at the board with engineer Greg Norman, Abrams pushed post production techniques found only sporadically on earlier NIS records deep into the heart of the music, distorting & reshaping instruments to subtly &, at times, aggressively mutate timbre & texture, color & time. Refracting the band's signature mesmerizing chains of overlapping rhythmic patterns through the sonic funhouse of dub makes Perseverance Flow the most formally experimental NIS album to date. Now a soundworld fully unique to itself is listening to itself, consoling & humoring itself, & consoling & humoring you. A destruction myth & a creation myth of a soundworld together at once -- "energetically nutritious" (October 2025 Issue 500 The Wire) supernatural information society.

"Perseverance Flow is skipping rope in slo-mo. A dance of co-operation to rally guts & humors & keep marching through pouring tears" (Abrams).

GusGus are continuing their weird fusion of '80s and '90s vibes in the spirit of their last album DanceOrama. This time its nostalgic futuristic raving, delivering two nasty bits for those DJ's bringing stranger journeys on floor, or some madness when the crowd is vulnerable for some alter reality experience.

"Amish Records is excited to announce wet glass, the stately sophomore album from Carrboro, NC-based Verity Den. This eagerly awaited new record follows their 2024 debut, which was built from early demo recordings and quickly attracted a passionate following despite the raw origins. The energy and innovative sound of that album earned praise for its originality and musicianship. Sun13 Music praised the debut as 'a scuzzy, blissed-out torrent of sound that stands completely on its own two feet.' Heathen Disco, naming it 2024's Album of The Year, wrote, 'this thing is just perfect, patient, and pretty revelatory for any band playing in this puddle decades after the fact, and the little-recognized high card they're playing with is texture -- reminds that the best bands don't fall into a stylistic trap so much they rebuild the trap altogether, and let others do the falling.' The new album was self-recorded and self-produced and is built upon the same foundational elements as their first album, noise, texture, ambience and simple songcraft, but wet glass has a wider ranging landscape. A bigger frame brings a bigger picture, but fear not, Verity Den has not forgotten what we've come to love about their sound. Just because it's groomed doesn't mean it's 'clear.' It's 2025, clarity is downright embarrassing and Verity Den has expertly mastered the skill of translating the current mind-fuck zeitgeist into a sonic snapshot. They are equally inner-political journalists as they are musicians. Casey Proctor, Trevor Reece, Mike Wallace, and Reed Benjamin's musical simpatico is natural. wet glass flows between multiple zones including, but not limited to, the melodic Yo La Tengo 'Painful' era drive of 'wet glass' and 'green drag,' the loopy Flying Saucer Attack haze of 'unsolved mystery' and 'highway fifty four' or the loner neo-Fred Neil devotional 'to trees.' Impressionistic lyrics, effective songs and jams that sound warm and familiar. The make-up of wet glass is dense, yet simply beautiful. Unintentionally cinematic. Verity Den conjure a sound that soaks in like an Epsom salt bath after a long day of being pummeled by your 9 to 5. SWEET RELIEF." --David Kenneth Nance

Steve Moore reprises his beloved Lovelock guise by presenting his unique riff on the library breaks genre. Business And Pleasure contains grimy groove and sleazy funk-laden lounge music, oscillating between dark and light flashes. It's nothing short of astounding! This vinyl release is hyper-limited, with just 500 pressed for the world. The LP is ushered in by the spacey synth-funk of the sleazy, woozy title track. This is that serious slo-mo cosmic-balearic head-nod shit. Laidback bass, heavy funk with dreamy synth and electric guitars. An outstanding opener. Heaven-sent synth flourishes and a laidback bassline over smooth drums cement its simple, vivacious grace. This collection was written and recorded in Spring and Summer of '24. Everything was tracked at Steve's home studio in Albany, NY except the drums and percussion, which were recorded by Jeff Gretz at his space in NYC. The whole collection is basically a rhythm section feature, so Steve's Rickenbacker 4003 and Fender Jazz Bass play very prominently. The bass guitar serves as lead instrument in a lot of these tracks. Also, lots of Rhodes and stringers and guitar. He even dusted off my sax for this one, which he doesn't do as often as he'd like! This type of groove-oriented library music has been a steady part of Steve's diet since the late '90s. Lovelock started as a dedicated Italo-disco project, but over the years Steve expanded it to include anything directly informed by the commercial/pop side of the music of his childhood ('70s/'80s). Writing and recording this album was, like a lot of Steve's music these days, basically a test to see whether or not he could do it. The album's cover was designed by Chris Stevenson, with no little direction from Steve. He knew that he wanted to go with something photography-based for this cover so, in true DIY/cheapskate spirit, Steve started by looking through his own photos. He found the cover image on his phone, taken through an almost empty bottle of beer, and it clicked. The whole album has a very boozy vibe, so this shot seemed appropriate. Mastering for this vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis, and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry.

Wally Badarou is a synth pioneer and musical polymath. But rarely does he sing over his sumptuous tracks. The six songs that comprise new record Simple Things finally realize Wally's vision for select backing tracks from his beloved Colors Of Silence. The tracks were originally developed back in 2001 for the release of the original CD; here, Wally has "simply" added overdubs and vocals to their mastered mixes with some discerning edits. Simply put, Simple Things is another slice of simply stunning Wally Badarou genius. Simple Things has been decades in the making. Indeed, Wally struggled not only with the idea of singing these wonderful songs himself but singing them in English and writing his own lyrics, while wrestling with the sensational backing tracks, which themselves seemed to have taken on a life of their own. As Wally explains: "In addition to the instrumental artist I have been known as, so far, there has always been a singer who simply was not sure he was, up until now. Even though Back To Scales Tonight, my very first album, was, indeed, a song album." The guide vocal Wally had laid for Colors Of Silence -- with an organ sound -- seemed striving for words in Linguala, a Congolese language he could not speak. Therefore the decision to do it himself was not an easy one, for it had to be in English to fit his singing. A synth specialist, there can be few artists more under-appreciated given their vast influence than Wally Badarou. His solo work practically defined the sound of the Balearic DJs of the 1980s, and thus the more sophisticated sound of dance culture thereafter. He was one of the Compass Point All Stars (with Sly and Robbie, Barry Reynolds, Mikey Chung and Uziah "Sticky" Thompson), the in-house recording team of Compass Point Studios responsible for a series of albums in the 1980s recorded by Grace Jones, Tom Tom Club, Mick Jagger, Black Uhuru, Gwen Guthrie, Jimmy Cliff and Gregory Isaacs. Badarou's keyboard playing could also be heard on albums by Robert Palmer, Marianne Faithfull, Herbie Hancock, M (Pop Muzik), Talking Heads, Manu Dibango, and Miriam Makeba. Wally's sophisticated synth textures and expressive keyboard runs are so full of character, so full of life, that this work of art transcends any easy genre categorization. Meticulously remastered and cut by both Simon Francis and Cicely Balston respectively, it has been pressed to the highest possible quality at Record Industry in Holland.

The songs of Louisiana's Francophone and Creole heritage have flowed through the bayous for centuries, shaped by African, Native American, French, and Caribbean influences. This double vinyl compilation and its OBI strip features a staggering 34 songs, ranging from French ballads and Creole renditions to zydeco hooks and reinterpretations by a wide array of contemporary artists such as Madteo, Tanz Mein Herz, Radio Hito, Cyril Cyril, and Deafkids, among others. With archival recordings and contemporary creations side by side, it serves as a bridge across the vast bayou of Louisiana music. Also featuring Elby "Bee" Deshotels, Alma Barthélémy, Caesar Vincent, Raywood Morvant, Chalvin Godar, Burton LeMaire, Clifton Chenier, Isome J. Fontenot, Gabriel Broussard, Emeline Broussard, Chimère FM, Yama Warashi, Herandu, _thesmoothcat, Juu, and NAPPYNAPPA.

Berlin-based Swedish singer-songwriter Nadya Albertsson returns with her most personal work to date. Half Silk Half Blade blends diaristic storytelling with lush, layered instrumentation, the capturing a fleeting, transformative moment of queer self-discovery. A Scottish Young Jazz Musician finalist in 2018, her sound has been described as evoking Alice Coltrane, with a blend of Ella Fitzgerald, Esperanza Spalding, and Erykah Badu. Her versatile and expansive vocal range has already been showcased on Rebecca Vasmant's Blessed and Broken Biscuits and Amanda Whiting's After Dark -- projects championed by the likes of Gilles Peterson, Jamie Cullum, Jamz Supernova, BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, and BBC Radio Scotland. For fans of Olivia Dean and Cleo Soul.

The second release on Ben Kaczor and LB Honne's new imprint St. Odes features Ben Oyefeso from Hamburg with a deep, glitchy 2x12" vinyl-only LP. Ben Kaczor: "After a gig at the Golden Pudel in Hamburg last year, I stopped by Remoto Records the next day. The music playing in the shop struck me immediately -- delicate, unusual, and soothing all at once. As I kept listening, I even noticed my headache fading away. Behind the counter was Ben Oyefeso, quietly playing his unreleased tracks. Since that moment, the rest is history."

This album is not just an homage -- it's a gentle act of remembrance. A way of tuning in to what Alvin Lucier showed the world: that listening is an art in itself. A meditation on resonance, memory, and the quiet power of pure sound. The influence of Alvin Lucier's work on acoustic phenomena and the interplay between sound and space is difficult to overstate. His legacy continues to echo through the work of countless composers and sound artists today. Lucier's music is marked by a sense of childlike wonder and sonic simplicity -- shifting perception from what people hear to how they listen. At the heart of his compositions lies the sine wave: the purest, most elemental form of sound. Clarinetist Dries Tack pays tribute to this master of minimalism with an album centered around two works Lucier composed as intimate "In Memoriams" for friends. Both pieces explore a single, elegant idea: the interaction between an instrumental tone and a sine wave. Out of that interaction, "beatings" emerge -- a pulsating rhythm that accelerates or decelerates as the waves draw nearer or drift apart. Though built on the same concept, the two works are like mirrored reflections of one another: "In Memoriam Jon Higgins," the sine wave glides in a slow glissando while the clarinet holds steady tones. "In Memoriam Stuart Marshall," it's the clarinet that dances around a fixed sine wave. Dries Tack is a clarinetist specializing in contemporary performance practices. He performs with ensembles such as Nadar Ensemble, Curious Chamber Players, and Ensemble Fractales. As co-artistic director of the GLoW Collective, he explores collaborative practices across artistic disciplines in the broadest sense. In addition to his ensemble work, Dries curates solo projects that offer fresh perspectives on existing repertoire or give rise to entirely new works at the intersection of composition and improvisation.

That Wolf At The Door is a collaborative 2CD between Henry Kaiser (Califonia, USA; guitar) and P.ST (Prague, Czechia; electronics). The first CD That Wolf At The Door is a solo baritone guitar disc that pays a heartfelt tribute to the late science fiction author Gene Wolfe (May 7, 1931 -- April 14, 2019). The album is a testament to the decades-long friendship and mutual appreciation between Wolfe and Kaiser, two creative minds who shared a passion for pushing the boundaries of their respective art forms. With novels often as complex and extraordinary as Cecil Taylor's best piano playing, Wolfe is one of Kaiser's favorite writers of all time. On this disc, Kaiser's guitar storytelling and narratives were consciously and intentionally influenced by Wolfe's writing. The baritone guitar, with its longer scale length, typically larger body, and lower tuning than a regular guitar, is an intriguing instrument. It is often pitched halfway between the lowest note of a bass of a regular guitar, adding a unique depth and resonance to the sound. Henry Kaiser has been playing baritone guitars for over 30 years, and this is his second CD, after 2024's The Lost Chord, which is all baritone. The solos here are free-improvised, live, in real time, with no overdubbing. Various extended techniques, both manual and electronic, were employed to create polyphonic and orchestral textures. Many of Kaiser's musical heroes -- Terry Riley, Cecil Taylor, Derek Bailey, Iannis Xenakis, Rockette Morton, Conlon Nancarrow, Barry Guy, Rakotozafy, D'Gary, Evan Parker, and György Ligeti -- inspired the solos on this disc. The second CD Sea Of Memories is a solo electronic disc by P.ST, created exclusively from Henry Kaiser's guitar playing. P.ST is a performer/composer based in Prague. The first fifty minutes of Sea Of Memories are sourced from Henry Kaiser's solo guitar playing, which P.ST digitally decomposed and deconstructed. The second piece, "Pattern Of Joy," is an eight-minute guitar improvisation from Henry Kaiser processed by P.ST through thirty-two periodically delayed overlays that grew the piece into twenty-two minutes duration.

The long-awaited interpretation of Le Lay de l'Ymage -- never recorded before! -- is the most beautiful song of the 14th century you will hear this year. To approach the music and poetry of Guillaume de Machault, at the heart of the 14th century, one must always take a step back and look again, to see what a poetic and musical tradition of old might contain, with fresh eyes and ears -- as each generation must - to immerse oneself in it with care. Thus was born the great desire for the boxed set of L'Ymage, the new double album by Michaël le Grébil Liberg -- a co-production between Sub Rosa and Thödol Records. At the heart of the box is an exclusive and complete interpretation of the Lay de l'Ymage. The repertoire of Machault's lais is very rarely performed, and this album offers a rare opportunity to hear this unique and particular form, one that unfolds across an extended period of time; an experience of duration, at a time when brutality and acceleration are shrinking the sense of time. On the fringes of the Lay de l'Ymage, are two other pieces. One opens the album, a piece where l'envers vaut l'endroit (Backward's worth forwards) -- as the filmmaker Jean Epstein once said -- the polyphonic rondeau Ma Fin est mon Commencement instrumentally reimagined in collaboration with Clara Levy and Stéphane Clor. At the other end, there is a Hörbild, a book of sound images in the orthogonal lineage of German hörspiels, aural cinema and radio poems -- an intertwined form where music, distant voices, and field recordings allow listeners to hear some Oyseaulx d'Avryl. What's in the box? Medieval Ars nova meets dark folk, aural cinema, contemporary music, drone and much more. An astonishing album gathering three extended pieces that unfold the works of polyphonic music genius Guillaume de Machaut, the greatest and last of the troubadours. Lovingly recorded by sound master Frederic Alstadt, featuring Clara Levy, Stéphane Clor and Eugénie De Mey, this album captures all the poignancy and poetry of this timeless music. Comes in a limited handmade box set of 300 numbered copies including double LP and 72-page booklet.

West Virginia Snake Handler Revival "They Shall Take Up Serpents" marks the arrival of a landmark record, documenting the last, snake handling church in Appalachia. Featuring hillbilly rock guitars, trance-like rhythms, and howling vocals, this album was recorded 100% live and without overdubs by Grammy-award winning producer and author, Ian Brennan (Tinariwen, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Zomba Prison Project). The first release of American music ever by Sublime Frequencies, Brennan states, "As much as I've traveled around the globe to remote areas such as Comoros, the southeast Sahara or up-river in Suriname, few places have felt more foreign or 'exotic' than this part of Appalachia. The recording represents in many ways a companion and counterpoint -- the other side of the Deep South, so to speak -- to the music that was explored on the Parchman Prison Prayer albums. The Snake Handler album was an attempt to listen across that divide -- a divide that's never fully healed and continues to haunt and imperil the USA to this day." The recording took place during a two-plus hour Sunday service in the West Virginia mountains. Brennan states, "I'd sworn to stay far away from the snakes at the service, but instead they were waved in my face as they coiled in the preachers' hands, and I crouched down at the foot of the altar tending to the equipment. The pastor soon was bitten and blood splattered, pooling on the floor. The female parishioners hurriedly came to wipe up the mess, and it instantly became clear just what the rolls of paper towels stacked on the pulpit had been for. You can actually hear this moment transpire towards the end of the track 'Don't Worry It's Just a Snakebite (What Has Happened to This Generation?)'. The congregation leapt to its feet and a mini mosh-pit formed. The tag-team preachers huffed handkerchiefs soaked in strychnine, as they circled like aggro frontmen and an elderly worshiper held the flame of a candle to her throat, closing her eyes and swaying. The church PA blew out from the screams as a bonnet-wearing senior whacked away at a trap kit that dwarfed her. It was the most metal thing I'd ever seen, rendering Slayer mere kids play." The flock claim to be the first church that merged Rock and Roll with firebrand preaching -- that the music was stolen from them by Satan, that they are the originators. Given that snake handling ministries can be traced back to at least 1910, there might even be a faint something to the claim. The pastor's father and brother both died after being bitten by timber rattlesnakes, and the pastor himself suffered greatly from one a few years back -- his forearm swelling to twice its size and turning slime green. As a result, he fell unconscious and his forearm had to be sliced open from wrist to bicep to relieve the pressure. Nonetheless, Pastor Chris steadfastly claims that "Jesus is our anti-venom." "Some people think we're Devil worshippers, that we're a cult. But snake handling is only a small part of what we do." In the 1970s there were reportedly five-hundred snake churches throughout Appalachia, but now there is only one -- in West Virginia, the only state where serpent handling remains legal. It's estimated that in the past century more than one-hundred preachers have died from poisonous snakebites inflicted while leading these services. This includes the founder of the first snake handling flock, George Went Hensley, who was illiterate and once convicted of selling moonshine during the Prohibition era. His death was officially ruled a suicide due to his refusing medical treatment. The local county's population has dropped by more than 80% in the wake of the West Virginia coal industry's globalization gutting, and the area now leads the USA in drug-related deaths per capita while also being the poorest in the state. Within minutes of launching into trance-like states during the service featured on this album, both preachers became drenched in sweat. More than strict scripture, the preachers are gifted improvisers able to vent for hours at a time. Brennan states, "Pastor Chris joked, 'You definitely don't want to hear me sing.' But, in fact, he is a gifted vocalist with singular phrasing." Like so much of the most classic music ever made, it sounds as if it is emanating from the past and the future simultaneously -- some parallel universe where instead of discovering amphetamines, The Damned found God (or maybe both) and became born again. The vinyl edition includes a long 13-minute bonus track and features a four-page booklet sporting stunning photos of the congregation's rituals in action.

Irish techno producer, Kerrie, returns to Tresor Records with her second EP for the label. Entitled Echoes Of The Live Wire, this collection captures the beauty and essence of live performance; a moment in time never to be repeated. Layered meanings are employed throughout as Kerrie explores this idea: "Live Wire" draws connections between circuit boards and the human nervous system, whilst also toying with multiple meanings of the word "live". "Echoes Of" channels classic Detroit techno influences, resonating with the distant hum of memories that refuse to fade, while "Moment To Memory" is a beatless, floating piece which slowly builds to an ecstatic crescendo.

Echocord welcomes Deepchord co-founder Mike Schommer onto its roster with Heirloom Signal, featuring remixes from Mathimidori, TM Shuffle and Another Channel. Mike Schommer co-founded Deepchord alongside Rod Modell and was considered by many to be at the forefront of the second wave of dub techno in the early 2000s following on from the legacy left by Basic Channel in the '90s. Here the musical story continues with a new project for the equally beloved dub techno powerhouse, Echocord.

"Naïm Amor and Kid Congo Powers met shortly before the pandemic in Tucson, Arizona. When the complete lockdowns hit everybody, Amor, like lots of other musicians, reclused himself in his studio and started experimenting with longtime ideas that were on the shelf. The initial idea was to combine rockabilly/garage-electric guitars with electronic drum machines and bass synthesizers, a vague intuition inspired by Link Wray's guitar tones on one hand and the electronic rawness of the band Suicide on the other. After recording a couple tracks, Amor got the idea of inviting Kid Congo to collaborate in the making of some electric guitar 'dialogs.' The tracks of Tucson Safari display the two different personalities and approaches of Amor and Kid Congo, both passionate electric guitar players, in the form of an exploration through composition and tone. The interwoven layers of guitars reveal the particular harmonic and melodic sense of Amor's sound 'dancing' with the unmistakable slide and fuzzy tones of Kid Congo Powers."

Restocked on LP. "This is the first stop on Sven Wunder's musical journey. Wunder takes the listener somewhere around the easternmost part of the Mediterranean Sea, around the Levantine Sea, where he paints a colorful portrait and illustrates the region's flora through sound. The fruitage is a vivid bouquet where Wunder fuses colors and pigments by using traditional and modern instruments merged with arrangements and melodies that stretch from popular to folk music by portraying tulips, red roses, hibiscus, hyacinths, chamomile, magnolia, daisies etcetera. With both fine and thick brushes these flowers are pictured in both modern and classic idiom. The outcome is prismatic. It stands between Anatolian rock and European jazz-funk with ponderous drum patterns, groovy organs, far-out synthesizers, enchanting sax, and impetuous bass lines. Eastern Flowers sweeps through time and space and points towards the future. It could appeal to both psych and prog listeners, folk or jazz aficionados, and as well the gourmet hip hop connoisseurs."

"The field recordings on this album contain the common theme of water in different states: snow, ice, hail, streams, creeks, in the Puget Sound passing under a ferry boat, pouring from a leaking sea wall, in frozen ponds, as it turns a water wheel, rain in thunder storms, in a pool during winter swimming. These were recorded between 2017-2024. They were usually made quickly while out with my son, and later edited to preserve the sounds of our voices while obscuring the specific content of what was said. In contrast, when Daniel records, he has a predetermined place in mind, and sets off on whole day adventures to document through both photography and audio. Working together melds his high fidelity, pre-meditated recordings with my spur-of-the-moment low-fi recordings... When we decided to work together on Smelter, I gave him five recordings of my piano compositions which he treated and added his own elements to -- turning them into long drone formations. These were then combined with the various water-based field recordings we'd made individually. Making records this way creates an aural archive of place/time and environment -- in the same way a film photograph holds onto a vision in time: the single moment when light is suspended in microscopic halide crystals which can then be recreated and reinterpreted: a form of time travel, where the past is both fixed and also accessible in the present. With Smelter perhaps we have created a time capsule, an index in which to place our combined story telling for listeners to share." --Faith Coloccia

"Ohlin Russell (born on 2 January 1962), better known as Sister Nancy (or Muma Nancy), is a Jamaican dancehall DJ and singer. She is known as the first female dancehall DJ and was described as being a 'dominating female voice for over two decades' on the dancehall scene. One of her most famous songs is 'Bam Bam,' labeled as a 'well-known reggae anthem' by BBC and a 'classic' by The Observer."

2025 restock; LP version. Includes bonus 7". Wewantsounds continues its extensive Meiko Kaji reissue program -- in partnership with Teichiku Records and Kaji herself -- with the release of Yadokari, her third album from 1973. This marks the first time the album has been reissued on vinyl, featuring its original artwork and newly remastered audio. Renowned for her iconic 1970s films (Lady Snowblood, the Stray Cat Rock series) and admired by Quentin Tarantino, Meiko Kaji also released a string of outstanding albums on Teichiku, blending Japanese pop with cinematic grooves. Yadokari is reissued here with its original deluxe gatefold sleeve and OBI plus a two-page insert featuring new liner notes by Hashim Kotaro Bharoocha. As a special bonus, this edition includes an EP single featuring "Shura No Hana," famously featured on the Kill Bill soundtrack. Kaji was one of Japan's most iconic exploitation film actresses of the early 1970s. Beyond acting, she was invited by film studios to perform theme songs for many of her films leading to revered music career. Between 1972 and 1974, she recorded five albums for Teichiku, which have since become highly sought after. Yadokari ("hermit crab"), released in 1973, was Kaji's third album for the label. Like its predecessors Gincho Wataridori and Hajiki Uta, it offers a rich mix of kayōkyoku (Japanese pop), traditional enka, psychedelic rock, and cinematic '70s funk. The album includes two tracks, "Hagure Bushi" and "Kiba no Ballad," from the cult 1973 TV series Sengoku Rock Hagure Kiba, in which Kaji starred. "Hagure Bushi" stands out as one of the album's funkiest tracks. Like "Kiba no Ballad," it was composed and arranged by the legendary producer Yuji Ohno (best known for his work on Lupin the III). The album as a whole is a superb blend of atmospheric songs, from the haunting, slow-burning title track "Yadokari" to "Ah," which features groovy guitar licks, harmonica, and sleek string arrangements, evoking a subtle Morricone influence. To complete this reissue, Wewantsounds has included the rare 1973 7" EP "Shura No Hana/Hō Yare Ho" as a bonus. Only released as a single, "Shura No Hana" (Flower of Carnage") is a cult classic, famously featured on Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 2 soundtrack. A key release in Meiko Kaji's 1972 - 1974 Teichiku Records catalog, Yadokari is a testament to her singular talent as a singer.

Green color vinyl version. Sababa 5 finally delivers their long-promised, and self-titled album of original instrumentals, built around the band's distinct mix of Middle Eastern psych, funk, and disco groove. Sababa 5's knack for intricate grooves and catchy melodies have led to a series of acclaimed singles, from fresh takes on classic melodies to vocal collaborations, championed by the BBC's Gilles Peterson, Cerys Mathews, and Gideon Coe in the UK, and Radio Nova and FIP, in France, whilst they gradually found their own contemporary sound, creating original music together that could stand up on its own across a whole album. Across these eight songs, the group blends the Afro disco, reggae, jazz, funk, and a plethora of Middle Eastern traditions, whilst traveling time and space, drawing a musical, cultural and geographical line from Somalia to Iran, via Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt and Turkey, from the late '70s and early '80s to today. Thus, Sababa 5 creates a unique psychedelic groove that builds on the approach that the likes of the Daptones have taken to working independently, writing, producing, and recording original music, with their own modern take on '70s soul and funk. Standouts include "Malca" (a girl's name that means "queen"). Built around broken synth lines, a languid East Africa meets Anadolu psych groove and vintage organ licks, the instrumental peaks a transformative chord change, shooting it into the stratosphere. The carnivalesque "Lizarb" ("Brazil" backwards), raises the tempo and temperature. The piece kicks off with a guitar-led call-and-response before a synth-led melody lifts everything to another level. Topped off before the end by a beautiful wah-wah meets psychedelic Mizrahi style guitar solo over a pulsating drum and groove line, demanding a physical response. "Habedil" ("the idiot" in Hebrew), is named for the innocent, child-like synths that lead off towards the start, whilst the bass and guitar riff repetitively, crafting an irresistible groove before dovetailing into an epic disco synth vamp. With this, their debut, self-titled album, Sababa 5 is ready to take a seat among the most exciting and original instrumental-based groups across the globe, with an exciting and distinct approach to groove, sound, and melody. For fans of: Surprise Chef, Sven Wunder, Yin Yin, The Soul Surfers, ATA Records.

2025 repress; LP version. Kingston Sounds present a reissue of Horace Andy's Natty Dread A Weh She Want, originally released in 1979. The Natty Dread A Weh She Want set brings together two legends of reggae music. The stylish and unmistakable falsetto voice of singer Horace Andy, and the production/DJ singing skills of Tapper Zukie. Both artists' catalogues of music stand up strong, but something special out comes from both of them on this set of tunes. "Natty Dread A Weh She Want" was a massive hit when it was released by Tapper Zukie and Horace Andy, but this timeless track still sounds as fresh today as the day it was released in 1979, as do the other tracks on this fine album.

2025 repress. MG.ART announce the authorized 50th anniversary edition of Ash Ra Tempel's Schwingungen, originally released in 1972. One of the most important German krautrock albums. Re-cut carefully overseen by Manuel Göttsching himself. Gatefold sleeve with sticker; Includes original release sheet and inlay.

Julian Cope's review on Schwingungen in Krautrocksampler (Head Heritage, 1995): "'Beware of Schwingungen!' That should be the large sticker on the front of all copies of this record. For it is dangerous to be casually introduced to something that is life-changing, as I found out to my cost when first listening to this record. It all starts fairly simply and without any cause for alarm -- 'Look at Your Sun' begins with a Doorsy lone groover guitar begins a pedestrian blues, beautiful. Then the most crushed voice, a cross between Johnny Rotten and Tiny Tim, preaches its way into the proceeds. God, it is beautiful -- John L. repeats over and over, 'We are all one, we are all one', until a howling fuzztone solo guitar blows the whole one chord 'Signed D.C.' ringing-cymbals torture to an end. And then the most far out track of all begins. This is called 'Flower Must Die' and it is a free-rock giant that transcends everything else in its field (there are no contenders.) As I've written before, PIL sounds like this. John L. was John Lydon in a previous incarnation. After a slow weird build, a frantic streamlined one-chord mantra kicks in and it's like the Stooges' Funhouse period but in a Righteous Vision Zone that fucks them right off. Phasing tears at the whole tracks as this Holy Racket crosses into hyper-space and everything gets all hyphenated just-for-the-sake-of-it. 'Flowers Must Die', man, it's fucked up. Over on side two, the title-track ('Vibrations') begins poetically enough with Wolfgang Muller's epic and hugely reverbed vibraphone. Organ fades in and FX guitars, and time passes by. Finally, tom-toms roll and the developing pace is built upon until that great eternal chord sequence finally materializes -- this is the one that Göttsching and Enke believed was the sound of heaven. They may have been right. And Schwingungen was a gift from the Gods."

A long-awaited reissue of an ultra-rare 7-inch single, originally released as a promo-only item from handsome boy, the 1990 masterpiece by Inoue Yosui -- widely regarded as one of the greatest singer-songwriters in Japanese music history. "Pi Po Pa," arranged by Haruomi Hosono was featured on Heisei No Oto, a compilation released by music from memory. The album's standout track, "Shonen Jidai," remains one of Japan's most iconic and beloved songs. Also included on this 7-inch is "Yume Migokochi," a pinnacle of Japanese Balearic sound, arranged by Yuji Kawashima -- keyboardist of EP-4. Exclusive to this release is also "Kurenai Suberi," an overlooked gem that might best be described as Inoue's take on cold-funk.

2025 reprint. The 20th anniversary re-issue of Fennesz's best-selling Venice, originally released in 2004, is now available as a deluxe version remastered by Denis Blackham, with new and extra tracks not on the previous CD or vinyl versions. Included in the DVD-format edition is a booklet with texts by Fennesz himself, Denis Blackham, and Jon Wozencroft, with unseen photographs from the original 2004 sessions. The booklet also reproduces David Sylvian's original handwritten lyrics for "Transit." This "stunning" collaboration with David Sylvian continues where their fantastic duo track on Sylvian's album Blemish left off. Situated directly in the middle of a mostly subdued listening experience, "Transit" literally bursts out of the speakers accentuating the album's more pop-like characteristics as well as its more restrained moments.

Denis Blackham: "Fast forward to 2024 and here I am again with the same original master mixes I used in 2003 to make a new and expanded version of the album -- Venice 20. A little over twenty years later, technology in audio production, recording and mastering has improved substantially, so I was excited to return to this album and give my 2024 treatment."

Christian Fennesz: "Over months, I collected material for the album: short recordings of acoustic and electric guitars, experiments with newly introduced soft synths and samplers, and field recordings, sometimes done on the go and directly in Venice, where I stayed for several weeks. The sound and acoustics of the city fascinated me. From my room, you could clearly hear conversations at night with the window open, but it was uncertain whether they came from the neighboring house or several blocks away, as if the sound waves in Venice followed their own rules. It was during this time that the idea for Venice as an album title came to me, as a suggestive description of a dignified decline, decay, death, and rebirth. David Sylvian's lyrics and vocal performance for "Transit" perfectly encapsulated this idea for me. The piece remains a highlight of a wonderful, ongoing collaboration."

2025 repress. WRWTFWW Records is announces the first-ever physical release of Louisiana-based composer and producer Jammin' Sam Miller's full HD re-creation/restoration of the beloved Super Metroid video game soundtrack. The limited biovinyl double LP is packed with 27 tracks and features an exclusive artwork by French illustrator Pierre Thyss, as well as an obi strip. Composed by Kenji Yamamoto and Minako Hamano, the soundtrack for 1994 SNES exploration/action-adventure/sci-fi/alien video game Super Metroid has always been a fan-favorite. A true masterclass in music storytelling, it beautifully evokes the epic and eerie adventure of the game's protagonist Samus Aran with superb use of atmospheric sounds, space-operatic arrangements, rumbling bass, oppressive techno-futurist moods, tribal drums, and airy synth themes, admirably balancing the ominous feel of a dark menace and contemplative, even soothing, ambient soundscapes. Jammin' Sam Miller assiduously recreated the soundtrack note by note, by finding the original equipment used to create it, translating the MIDI into a modern studio context, adding in keyboard samples, and re-mixing and re-mastering the whole score. He explains: "This was made possible by locating the original instrument samples from workstation keyboards and drum machines before they were put into the game and rebuilding the soundtrack from the ground up, applying some modern mixing techniques along the way to lift the veil of 16bit compression and create an updated listening experience." Super Metroid is pressed on biovinyl, a sustainable alternative to traditional vinyl. Biovinyl replaces petroleum in S-PVC by recycling used cooking oil or industrial waste gases, resulting in 100% CO savings in bio-based S-PVC production. Furthermore, it is 100% recyclable and reusable, embracing the circular economy ideology.

For Martin Gretschmann, the ever-evolving Berlin artist known as both Acid Pauli and Console, music has always been a deeply personal journey. His new imprint, All Is Acid, is the destination, a creative home for his uncompromising and experimental sound. Breaking from the cycle of trends, the label is a return to the essential, offering just a few curated releases a year. Each is intended as a timeless artifact for deep listening, primarily showcasing Acid Pauli's own intricate and intimate productions. This release is given a powerful new dimension by a standout remix from Italian artist Adiel. Her bold, reverent reinterpretation honors the original's spirit while imprinting it with her own unique signature.

Silver-color double vinyl set. First time on vinyl with bonus previously unreleased, period correct live side. Housed in gatefold sleeve with black/metallic silver ink artwork. Riot Season has purged the Acid Mothers Temple archives once again, resurrecting another classic album: Electric Heavyland. Originally released in 2002 on CD only (via Alien 8 Recordings), Electric Heavyland is presented here for the first time on vinyl, remastered and with a whole bonus live side! Housed in a beautiful gatefold sleeve with heavy use of the original black and metallic silver ink artwork. Side D was recorded live at the second Acid Mothers Temple Festival on December 13th 2003 with Yamazaki Maso (Masonna) as a guest. Makoto says "we have played this song, 'Atomic Rotary Grinding God' live only once, and this is that recording." Produced, engineered and mixed by Kawabata Makoto. Live recorded by Takayama Manabu (original source is VHS video tape). Remastered by John McBain.

Astonishing debut LP by Jerry A's (Poison Idea) new band with members of HHH, Rouse, 25th Coming Fire, Disaster Jacks, and Ira et Decessus, an instant hardcore-punk classic. The first, brutal LP by supergroup Black Bacon, Every Action Has Reaction, is a kick ass and punishing barrage of pure punk. They produce eight murderous tracks of frantic hardcore punk sure to satisfy anybody even slightly interested in furious music. Includes fold out insert.

Attachments featuring Jorg Schneider (LP, Feeding Tube/Cardinal Fuzz) is made up of two side-length tracks "Death Mask" and "Born in a Storm," meditative longform journeys exploring the themes of death and birth. German drummer Jorg Schneider has been a longtime friend and collaborator of Przemyslaw Drazek and Brent Fuscaldo (formerly of Mako Sica), having released records together under the name Havre de Grace on labels No Index and Somnimage. Recording on previous efforts took place closer to Jorg's home in Western Germany and for this time around Jorg traveled to Chicago to record with Drazek Fuscaldo at Electrical Audio. "Death Mask" is kinetic right out of the gate with propulsive drumming and a guitar looping sequence that provides the framework for the trumpet to tell a story. The real-time guitar riff is sampled and played back in different fractions to which Schneider reacts with scattered beats to the electronic blips and bleeps. After the high-energy free jazz simmers and the smoke clears a maraca rhythm emerges along with a bluesy guitar and vocals enter the picture. "Dream through forest, fly through many thorns that bleed" unravel as lyrics over a more subdued floor-bed after the chaos. The trumpet bookends the track with a final breath. "Born in a Storm" begins with a long gateway of floating ambience. A cyclical texture that is joined in the background with bells and percussion that decorates the space. A guitar enters with atmospheric notes adding to the color then a deep vocal mantra, multi-layered, takes over. Drums and a dubby bassline add to the bouquet of sound. Lastly, the trumpet carries with it an air of otherworldly bliss. Wildly different than the first track but altogether shows a spectrum of what this trio can explore together with improvisation. Recorded in Studio B with engineer Taylor Hales, who has worked on several records together over the years, and who has done a fantastic job with capturing the presence and vividness of the music. This album featured more "songs," which still had drawn-out passages of improvisation, but felt more structured. Attachments goes further in each direction of chaos and ambience.

Twin Lakes, Feeding Tube, and Cardinal Fuzz Records present the long-awaited fourth LP by the NY/CT duo Spiral Wave Nomads, a joint release between the three labels. Imagine being swallowed whole by a phosphorescent jellyfish the size of a city bus, drifting half-conscious across some cosmic tide pool while a guitar gnaws at your bones and a drum kit levitates just out of reach. That's The Weightless Sea, the new LP from Spiral Wave Nomads, a record that doesn't give a damn about your earthly anchors, your comfort zones, or the cloying stench of polite indie rock playlists. Spiral Wave Nomads are Eric Hardiman (guitarist, psychic detonator, veteran of Albany's colossal noise-tribe Burnt Hills, bassman of the lit-punk jammers Sky Furrows, and one half of the spectral duo Century Plants) and Michael Kiefer (drummer, rhythm exorcist, tempo-smasher of the free-rock duo Rivener and survivor of Myty Konkeror and its glorious progeny, the ecstatic psych-trio More Klementines). Together they don't so much "play songs" as they drag sound through wormholes, melt it down to plasma, and spray it back into your synapses like an unholy baptism of feedback and thunder. The Weightless Sea is exactly what it says: an ocean without gravity, where riffs flicker like dying stars and percussion ricochets like rusted satellites gone feral. It's heavy without being sludge, it's free without being chaos, it's the ecstatic howl of two lifers chasing something bigger than language. It's a transmission from a parallel dimension where Hendrix never died, Can never stopped, and Sun Ra actually did get picked up by aliens and returned with a rhythm section made out of asteroids. Play it and you'll either ascend to another plane or drive straight into a glowing portal where the air shimmers with an alien heat, and the colors bleed into one another like an oil slick on a distant sun. It's a slow burn, a simmering groove that feels like a forgotten ritual being performed in the heart of a dead star. The sea is weightless. The waves don't end. The Nomads have no map, no compass, no tethers.

Punk was one of the first photobooks that came out about the punk movement not just in Spain but in Europe. Originally published in late 1977, the book achieved a significant international projection, acquiring a pseudo-mythical status as it disappeared from the catalogue. Almost half a century later the book is now available again. This updated edition includes unpublished photos from Salvador Costa's own archives, preserved by his wife and children after his passing on 30 October 2008, and also short texts and comments by members of Gen X, Eater, The Models, and more. Salvador Costa's black and white photos show his awareness that monochrome is the best way to portray individual punk spirit as well as the atmosphere of beer, music, and sex at the clubs in London, April '77. This book contains an insider vision depicting the city of London and the inclusive ambience at these venues; shot close-up and with a naturalness that shows there were no barriers between players and crowds. Scattered among the public, kids, smoke, and shadows, you will be able to find faces of the Sex Pistols, Chelsea, the Nips, the Slits, Eater, and many more, encapsulated in the space-time of a golden age of youth empowerment where everything was possible and nothing was impossible. The book was originally published in Spain in late 1977 by Star Magazine. It was one of the first books that came out about the punk movement in Europe. His images resembled those of a war correspondent, he was like a photojournalist in the improvised trenches of the early days of the London punk assault. Faces, attitudes and looks that tell as much about the time they lived in as any song or book. Punk achieved a significant international projection, selling out continuously at central London stockists as prestigious as the Photographers Gallery and the avant-garde bookstore Compendium Books. In Spain, it would also sell out, acquiring a pseudo-mythical status as it disappeared from the catalogue.

LP version. "At daybreak, as sunlight travels through the atmosphere and begins to reach Earth's surface, daylight gradually emerges. This marks the transition from night to the beginning of a brand-new day. As the temperature rises -- especially after clear, calm nights -- relative humidity decreases, and mist, formed of tiny suspended droplets, begins to evaporate. Warm air rises and cool air sinks, creating an interplay of temperature, humidity and sunlight that gives way to a soft, diffuse glow. The sea breeze slowly clears the morning mist, setting life in motion once again as the world wakes up. Daybreak is Sven Wunder's fifth full-length album, seamlessly continuing the progression of his musical oeuvre. It takes the listener on a vivid maritime expedition, beginning the moment the first rays of light break the darkness of the night and embarking on a lush journey through the early hours of the day and far beyond, until the light slowly fades and night falls once again. True to Wunder's now distinctive artistry, Daybreak is marked by elaborately crafted compositions and elegant pop-jazz arrangements for flute, percussion, brass and strings -- supported by a decisive rhythm section, all of which add depth and build on his body of work, continuing to unfold his creative path."